Their Crime is Being Born: Children born of war in the 20th century
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: History and Cultures
Abstract
Children fathered by (foreign) soldiers and born to local women (children born of war - CBOW) have been a feature of warfare for centuries, yet they have remained largely unnoticed by public and academia.
The network plans to bring together researchers and practitioners seeking to develop a better understanding of the issues affecting CBOW. This will include historians, social scientists, philosophers, lawyers, ethicists and psychiatrists, the majority of whom already have established research records in their own fields. In addition, military personnel, NGOs dealing with children born of war in recent conflicts, policy makers (e.g. in the UN) and psychiatrists will be integrated in workshops and related research projects.
The network will focus on
- the collation and dissemination of existing literature, of previously collected survey and other data relating to children born of war in general and children of child soldiers (CCS) and of peace keepers (CP) in particular
- the development of an understanding of the specific problems experienced by CCS and CP through the facilitation of cross-disciplinary dialogue in the form of collaborative workshops involving academic researchers as well as practitioners and representatives of NGOs working with CBOW
- the adaptation of existing tools providing computer-assisted therapeutic help to discriminated, stigmatized and traumatized children for work with CBOW
- the utilisation of anonymised information provided by CBOW and their mothers through computer-assisted therapies on a larger scale to facilitate a better understanding of the situation of children and to allow a comparative analysis of CBOW, and particularly CCS and CP.
The above aims will be achieved through
- A two-day round-table
- A three-day workshop on CBOW during and after World War II
- Simultaneous three-day workshops of the working groups on CCS and CP
- A concluding two-day conference
Core foci of the interdisciplinary meetings are:
1) CBOW during and after Second World War: This is the only group of CBOW for which significant research data exists that allows an assessment of medium and long-term effects of traumatisation and discrimination. A working group will investigate the possibility of extending survey research previously carried out in Norway and Denmark to other geographical areas and to more recent conflicts in order to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the life courses of CBOW.
2) CCS and CP: Taking preliminary studies of CCS and CP as a starting point, a working group consisting of trauma researchers and front-line practitioners as well as social scientists will investigate the possibility of adapting virtual trauma psychotherapeutic approaches for work with CBOW. Furthermore, an interdisciplinary workshop involving among others psychiatrists, lawyers, social scientists and practitioners will examine the potential utilisation of data obtained in the process of computer-assisted testimonial therapy in order to study the life courses of CBOW in different historical settings. The development of a collaborative research agenda will focus on the use of a Multilingual Computer Assisted Self Interview, hitherto tested primarily by treating post-traumatic stress disorder in war victims. This tool that allows (illiterate) individuals to answer standardized questionnaires can overcome some key difficulties in treating war victims, displaced people and children, namely illiteracy, geographical limitations and/or limitations concerning psychotherapeutic treatment capacity. The working group will examine the potential of developing standardized questionnaires, taking into account the needs of the children in their distinct setting. Moreover, the group will further explore specific research issues to be identified by the interdisciplinary research team, taking into account the necessary ethical considerations associated with research in this area.
The network plans to bring together researchers and practitioners seeking to develop a better understanding of the issues affecting CBOW. This will include historians, social scientists, philosophers, lawyers, ethicists and psychiatrists, the majority of whom already have established research records in their own fields. In addition, military personnel, NGOs dealing with children born of war in recent conflicts, policy makers (e.g. in the UN) and psychiatrists will be integrated in workshops and related research projects.
The network will focus on
- the collation and dissemination of existing literature, of previously collected survey and other data relating to children born of war in general and children of child soldiers (CCS) and of peace keepers (CP) in particular
- the development of an understanding of the specific problems experienced by CCS and CP through the facilitation of cross-disciplinary dialogue in the form of collaborative workshops involving academic researchers as well as practitioners and representatives of NGOs working with CBOW
- the adaptation of existing tools providing computer-assisted therapeutic help to discriminated, stigmatized and traumatized children for work with CBOW
- the utilisation of anonymised information provided by CBOW and their mothers through computer-assisted therapies on a larger scale to facilitate a better understanding of the situation of children and to allow a comparative analysis of CBOW, and particularly CCS and CP.
The above aims will be achieved through
- A two-day round-table
- A three-day workshop on CBOW during and after World War II
- Simultaneous three-day workshops of the working groups on CCS and CP
- A concluding two-day conference
Core foci of the interdisciplinary meetings are:
1) CBOW during and after Second World War: This is the only group of CBOW for which significant research data exists that allows an assessment of medium and long-term effects of traumatisation and discrimination. A working group will investigate the possibility of extending survey research previously carried out in Norway and Denmark to other geographical areas and to more recent conflicts in order to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the life courses of CBOW.
2) CCS and CP: Taking preliminary studies of CCS and CP as a starting point, a working group consisting of trauma researchers and front-line practitioners as well as social scientists will investigate the possibility of adapting virtual trauma psychotherapeutic approaches for work with CBOW. Furthermore, an interdisciplinary workshop involving among others psychiatrists, lawyers, social scientists and practitioners will examine the potential utilisation of data obtained in the process of computer-assisted testimonial therapy in order to study the life courses of CBOW in different historical settings. The development of a collaborative research agenda will focus on the use of a Multilingual Computer Assisted Self Interview, hitherto tested primarily by treating post-traumatic stress disorder in war victims. This tool that allows (illiterate) individuals to answer standardized questionnaires can overcome some key difficulties in treating war victims, displaced people and children, namely illiteracy, geographical limitations and/or limitations concerning psychotherapeutic treatment capacity. The working group will examine the potential of developing standardized questionnaires, taking into account the needs of the children in their distinct setting. Moreover, the group will further explore specific research issues to be identified by the interdisciplinary research team, taking into account the necessary ethical considerations associated with research in this area.
Planned Impact
The successful integration of marginalised societal groups is one of the key factors in the long-term success of the management of post-conflict situations. The changing nature of armed conflicts, wars, civil wars and occupations has resulted in a more sizeable population of CBOW; integration of these into post-conflict settlements has proved problematic both for the individual and at societal level.
Immediate impact of the project will be generated by the engagement - through the workshops and skills training - of a variety of practitioners (NGOs) and representatives of charities (involved with victims of war, CBOW, victims of gender-based violence (GBV)). Interactions between academia and practitioners will be mutually beneficial and the regular participation of representatives of interested parties will not only serve to ground the workshops and generate fully interdisciplinary dialogue, but it will feed back into the debates on best practice of dealing with the far-reaching effects of their biological origins on CBOW, e.g. stigmatisation, trauma, legal implications, ethical considerations.
In the medium to long term, cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary dialogue and research will benefit a range of non-academic audiences, such as public sector agencies, policy makers, charities, NGOs working with CBOW in a variety of roles and settings. These benefits will outlive the funding period for this project and will lead to sustainable partnerships across disciplines, between academic and non-academic collaborators and across non-academic partners engaged in different geographical regions. As most of the communications beyond the conferences and workshops will be in virtual form, e.g. through the interactive website, collaboration can be maintained beyond the lifetime of the AHRC-funded project.
Non-academic beneficiaries include:
NGOs: Through involvement in the research, for example in the workshops and conferences, relationships beyond the lifetime of the project will be forged which will allow NGOs (e.g. DDRR groups) to benefit from the findings of the studies which will then feed back into the implementation of best practice on the ground.
Charities: Research outcomes will inform work of charities and other international organisations (e.g. UN, UNICEF) with respect to the placement of CBOW in discourses surrounding International Law, Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs, Peace and Security and International Development.
Representatives from UK and other interest groups and charities are at the forefront of debates including with policy makers, governmental and sub-governmental agencies operating in this field. In order to maximise impact, these links will be exploited through widespread publication of the research and its outcomes through these groups. Furthermore, it is planned to link up the network website as widely as possible with web-based communication channels operating through these interest groups and agencies.
The aim of the network is to set an interdisciplinary, international and sustainable research agenda that survives the period of funding for the proposed network, involving long-term collaborative efforts among the network members. In the long-term, the outputs of this future research will be highly relevant to policy making.
Immediate impact of the project will be generated by the engagement - through the workshops and skills training - of a variety of practitioners (NGOs) and representatives of charities (involved with victims of war, CBOW, victims of gender-based violence (GBV)). Interactions between academia and practitioners will be mutually beneficial and the regular participation of representatives of interested parties will not only serve to ground the workshops and generate fully interdisciplinary dialogue, but it will feed back into the debates on best practice of dealing with the far-reaching effects of their biological origins on CBOW, e.g. stigmatisation, trauma, legal implications, ethical considerations.
In the medium to long term, cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary dialogue and research will benefit a range of non-academic audiences, such as public sector agencies, policy makers, charities, NGOs working with CBOW in a variety of roles and settings. These benefits will outlive the funding period for this project and will lead to sustainable partnerships across disciplines, between academic and non-academic collaborators and across non-academic partners engaged in different geographical regions. As most of the communications beyond the conferences and workshops will be in virtual form, e.g. through the interactive website, collaboration can be maintained beyond the lifetime of the AHRC-funded project.
Non-academic beneficiaries include:
NGOs: Through involvement in the research, for example in the workshops and conferences, relationships beyond the lifetime of the project will be forged which will allow NGOs (e.g. DDRR groups) to benefit from the findings of the studies which will then feed back into the implementation of best practice on the ground.
Charities: Research outcomes will inform work of charities and other international organisations (e.g. UN, UNICEF) with respect to the placement of CBOW in discourses surrounding International Law, Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs, Peace and Security and International Development.
Representatives from UK and other interest groups and charities are at the forefront of debates including with policy makers, governmental and sub-governmental agencies operating in this field. In order to maximise impact, these links will be exploited through widespread publication of the research and its outcomes through these groups. Furthermore, it is planned to link up the network website as widely as possible with web-based communication channels operating through these interest groups and agencies.
The aim of the network is to set an interdisciplinary, international and sustainable research agenda that survives the period of funding for the proposed network, involving long-term collaborative efforts among the network members. In the long-term, the outputs of this future research will be highly relevant to policy making.
People |
ORCID iD |
Sabine Lee (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Anderson K
(2019)
Predictors of posttraumatic growth among conflict-related sexual violence survivors from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
in Conflict and health
Anderson K
(2019)
Mothers with children born of sexual violence: Perceptions of global experts regarding support in social care settings.
in Health care for women international
Glaesmer H
(2013)
[The childhood trauma screener (CTS) - development and validation of cut-off-scores for classificatory diagnostics].
in Psychiatrische Praxis
Glaesmer H
(2017)
Childhood maltreatment in children born of occupation after WWII in Germany and its association with mental disorders.
in International psychogeriatrics
Glaesmer H
(2014)
[Traumatic experiences in elderly Germans. Importance for mental and physical health at a population level].
in Zeitschrift fur Gerontologie und Geriatrie
Glaesmer H
(2012)
Posttraumatic stress disorder and its comorbidity with depression and somatisation in the elderly - a German community-based study.
in Aging & mental health
Glaesmer H
(2012)
The differential roles of trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, and comorbid depressive disorders on suicidal ideation in the elderly population.
in The Journal of clinical psychiatry
Glaesmer H.
(2021)
Introduction
in Children Born of War: Past, Present and Future
Glueck, T.
(2011)
i alten Menschen in Oestrreich. Gibt es einen Einfluss der Besaztungszone?
in Trauma und Gewalt
Ho, Bernice
(2019)
Life Courses of Amerasians in Vietnam: A Qualitative Analysis of Emotional Well-Being.
in VNU Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities
Johnston LG
(2017)
Measuring a hidden population: A novel technique to estimate the population size of women with sexual violence-related pregnancies in South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.
in Journal of epidemiology and global health
Kaiser M.
(2021)
Implementing research ethics in an interdisciplinary research and training network - the CHIBOW project
in Children Born of War: Past, Present and Future
Kuwert P
(2013)
Trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder in older adults.
in CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
Kuwert P
(2014)
Long-term effects of conflict-related sexual violence compared with non-sexual war trauma in female World War II survivors: a matched pairs study.
in Archives of sexual behavior
Kuwert P
(2012)
More than 60 years later: the mediating role of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder for the association of forced displacement in world war II with somatization in old age.
in The Journal of nervous and mental disease
Kuwert, P.
(2012)
Trauma und Gewalt. Kriegstraumatisierungen aus interdisziplinaerer Sicht I
in Trauma und Gewalt
Lee S
(2019)
'They Put a Few Coins in Your Hand to Drop a Baby in You': A Study of Peacekeeper-fathered Children in Haiti
in International Peacekeeping
Lee S
(2021)
Children Born of War - Past, Present and Future
Lee S
(2023)
Editorial: Children born of war: Challenges and opportunities at the intersection of war tension and post-war justice and reconstruction
in Frontiers in Political Science
Lee S
(2022)
"I Grew Up Longing to Be What I Wasn't": Mixed-Methods Analysis of Amerasians' Experiences in the United States and Vietnam
in Frontiers in Political Science
Lee S
(2012)
Kinder des Krieges. Vergessene Sekundäropfer einer veränderten Kriegslandschaft im 20. Jahrhundert?
in Trauma und Gewalt
Lee S.
(2021)
Children born of war: A critical appraisal of the terminology
in Children Born of War: Past, Present and Future
Lee Sabine
(2017)
Children Born of War in the Twentieth Century
Maercker A
(2012)
Adjustment disorders: prevalence in a representative nationwide survey in Germany.
in Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology
Mitreuter S
(2019)
Questions of Identity in Children Born of War-Embarking on a Search for the Unknown Soldier Father
in Journal of Child and Family Studies
Stelzl-Marx B
(2015)
Soviet children of occupation in Austria: The historical, political and social background and its consequences
in European Review of History: Revue européenne d'histoire
Stelzl-Marx, B
(2012)
Stalins Soldaten in Österreich. Die Innensicht der sowjetischen Besatzung 1945-1955
Vahedi L
(2020)
"His Future will not be Bright": A qualitative analysis of mothers' lived experiences raising peacekeeper-fathered children in Haiti
in Children and Youth Services Review
Vahedi L
(2022)
"It's because We are 'Loose Girls' That's why We had Children with MINUSTAH Soldiers": A Qualitative Analysis of Stigma Experienced by Peacekeeper-Fathered Children and Their Mothers in Haiti.
in Journal of interpersonal violence
Van Ee E
(2012)
War trauma lingers on: Associations between maternal posttraumatic stress disorder, parent-child interaction, and child development.
in Infant mental health journal
Van Ee E
(2012)
Child in the shadowlands.
in Lancet (London, England)
Van Ee E
(2013)
Growing Up Under a Shadow: Key Issues in Research on and Treatment of Children Born of Rape
in Child Abuse Review
Wagner K
(2022)
Presence of the Absent Father: Perceptions of Family among Peacekeeper-Fathered Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo
in Journal of Child and Family Studies
Wagner K
(2022)
UNsupported: The Needs and Rights of Children Fathered by UN Peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo
in Human Rights Review
Wagner K
(2022)
'White Child Gone Bankrupt'-The Intersection of Race and Poverty in Youth Fathered by UN Peacekeepers.
in Culture, medicine and psychiatry
Wagner K
(2022)
Born between war and peace: Situating peacekeeper-fathered children in research on children born of war
in Frontiers in Political Science
Title | In the Name of the Father Uganda |
Description | Documentary Dance theatre |
Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Impact | The creation and production of the documentary dance theatre had several aims among others to support post-traumatic growth in a war-affected group of your people, to enhance transferable skills, and to produce a portable artistic product to raise awareness about children born of war in Uganda and beyond. The former two were achieved; the latter has been halted by the pandemic, and will be driven forward once this is possible in a COVID-secure way. |
Description | Significant data relating to children of peacekeepers have been collected. First analysis indicates higher resilience levels than expected, and more detailed analysis will follow. More detailed analysis of the recent data collection in Haiti and DRC have led to nuanced understanding of pecekeeping economies and SEA/GBV in peacekeeping host countries. |
Exploitation Route | Findings are currently informing several further studies on CBOW in Europe and Africa. Exchange of improved methodological understanding and development of new instruments are being utilised by several research groups linked through the network. Furthermore, insights from the network are being communicated to the FCO initiative on the prevention of gender-based violence in conflict, and exchange of data with UNICEF and UNSRSG Bangura and Zerrougui is being discussed. Recent results have led to discussions with UNVictims' Rights Advocate and the Peacekeeping Conduct and Discipline Unit. |
Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Education Healthcare Government Democracy and Justice |
Description | Findings currently feed into a project (Marie Curie IIF) aimed at the drafting for guidelines for the child-sensitive post-conflict reconstruction in Africa, with particular emphasis on consideration of the situation of Children Born of War. Findings further feed into documentary dance project with Bosnian CBOW, including the Tuzla National Theatre, and the Austrian Alpha Group production company. This project has now been extended to Uganda and is currently being funded by AHRC follow-on funding for impact (award is not listed and therefore cannot be entered in 'further award section). |
First Year Of Impact | 2015 |
Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Healthcare,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
Impact Types | Cultural Societal |
Description | Make History Work |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Description | Children Born of War: Resilience beyond programmes |
Amount | € 200,000 (EUR) |
Funding ID | IIF-2999934 |
Organisation | European Commission |
Sector | Public |
Country | European Union (EU) |
Start | 09/2012 |
End | 09/2015 |
Description | Horizon 2020 Innovative Training Networks |
Amount | € 3,700,000 (EUR) |
Funding ID | H2020-MSCA-ITN-2014-642571 |
Organisation | European Research Council (ERC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | Belgium |
Start | 03/2015 |
End | 02/2019 |
Description | Naming Practices for children of LRA rebels in Northern Uganda |
Amount | £1,500 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Birmingham |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2013 |
End | 08/2013 |
Description | University of Birmingham Undergraduate Research Scholarship |
Amount | £1,500 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Birmingham |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2012 |
End | 08/2012 |
Description | In the Name of the Father |
Organisation | The Alpha Group |
Country | Austria |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Building on previous work in Uganda we have put in place a bridging project for skills development around verbal and non-verbal communications with the CBOW group in Northern Uganda. We have forther co-produced a documentary dance. |
Collaborator Contribution | The Alpha group collaborated with impact-focussed activity to disseminate the finds on CBOW. Their director contributed several weeks of his time to preparing and leading a four-week workshop in Uganda culminating in a docu-dance theatre performancer. |
Impact | Dance workshop Documentary Dance threatre In the Name of the Father - Uganda (premiere January 2020). |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | Exploring the Borderlands: Academic-artistic collaborations |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | 40 academic participatns performance artists, producers and fil-makers met for a two-day impact-focussed exchange, around the planned performance of In the Name of the Father - a codumentary dance theatre about Children born of War. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |